The 96th All-Star Game was played last night, with catcher Adley Rutschman the lone Orioles representative. None of his teammates got a late call as a replacement.

Rutschman is used to starting with the Orioles, but he came off the bench for the American League and bounced to short against Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski in the eighth inning in a 4-0 win over the National League. He replaced the second catcher, Detroit’s Dillon Dingler, in the bottom of the seventh and set the target for former Oregon State teammate Drew Rasmussen.

It wasn’t a coincidence. AL manager John Schneider said on the FOX broadcast that Rays manager Kevin Cash contacted him with the idea of pairing Rutschman and Rasmussen.

Rutschman also caught former teammate Bryan Baker, who recorded the final out.

Wrobleski retired Rutschman on a 96.9 mph fastball after getting ahead 1-2 with two sliders and a four-seamer. The next batter, Miguel Vargas, homered into the second deck at Citizens Bank Park.

Rutschman is 0-for-4 in his three All-Star Games. He lined out to right field in his only at-bat in 2023 and grounded into a fielder’s choice and struck out as the starter in 2024 before Salvador Perez replaced him.

The second half will begin with Rutschman batting .253/.327/.436 with 18 doubles, a triple, eight home runs, 47 RBIs, 28 walks, 39 strikeouts and a 2.1 fWAR that’s third on the team. He’s thrown out 16 of 43 runners attempting to steal for a 37.2 percentage that’s the highest of his career and easily beyond the league’s 23.2.

His All-Star selection was deserved. Next for Rutschman is trying to lead the Orioles back to the playoffs.

“He’s Adley, he’s QB1,” said bench coach Donnie Ecker. “He’s been that cornerstone. And we have a lot of guys who share that responsibility with Adley, and we all do, but Adley in his own specification, he just brings a calmness to everything. Kind of a been there, done that.

“Even talking (Saturday) night late about the All-Star Game, he’s not going to get an All-Star break and he has been playing through a lot, even coming off the IL a couple times. So he’s pushed himself well. He’s not going to get a break. Just even his perspective on really wanting some other catchers to get some All-Star time was cool and it just tells you about his maturity, and for as young as he is, some of the milestones he’s already captured.”

Rutschman has one more year of arbitration eligibility remaining before free agency and, of course, media covering the All-Star Game asked him yesterday about his willingness to sign a long-term extension.

“I love the staff, I love the guys, players, the front office down to all the guys,” Rutschman said. “I’ve had a phenomenal experience so far with Baltimore. It’s been great. For me, you never know what’s going to happen, but I love Baltimore.”

The Orioles already extended catcher Samuel Basallo and starter Shane Baz before he threw a single pitch for them. Control owner David Rubenstein stated at Baz’s press conference that the club had the resources to do it for others and added, “We are open for business.”

Rutschman isn’t closing any doors, but he’s made it clear many times that he’s just focused on what he can control. That, and trusting the process. Another favorite expression. He wasn’t going to reveal much in Philadelphia.

“I feel like every player throws around the what-ifs, like, ‘What if this happens? What if that happens?” Rutschman told the media. “I try not to do that as much as possible. Because, again, it’s not controllable and you have no idea what other people are thinking or what they want. So I don’t know.”

*Jeremiah Jackson came off the bench in the sixth inning Sunday and delivered a run-scoring ground-rule double to right-center field. Tyler O’Neill crossed the plate after his pinch-hit single on a fly ball that Jac Caglianone lost in the sun.

The Orioles arrived at the break with Jackson leading the club with four pinch-hits (4-for-8), one more than Basallo and O’Neill. He’s also batting .314/.315/.549 with three doubles, three home runs and 28 RBIs with runners in scoring position.

“He’s clutch,” said reliever Andrew Kittredge. “There’s guys that step up in those moments, and he hasn’t had a really long career, but in the time that he has been here, he seems to step up in big moments like that. I think when you can kind of keep a low heart rate, that moment doesn’t seem as big as it might look from the outside. I think he does a good job of that.”

Manager Craig Albernaz isn’t predictable with his pinch-hit decisions. He’s lifted batters in left-on-left matchups, like Jackson replacing Jackson Holliday on Sunday. He’s removed Basallo in the same situations but let the rookie face Matt Strahm twice in the Royals series. Basallo hit a tie-breaking two-run homer in the eighth inning Friday and struck out Sunday leading off the sixth.

Orioles pinch-hitters were a collective 13-for-74 (.176) in the first 92 games. They went 5-for-6 with a walk in the last five. O’Neill and Coby Mayo homered Wednesday. Jackson had a two-run double the following night.

“Pinch-hitting is so hard,” Albernaz said. “With our guys, we talk about everything, like adjustments and processes and trying to figure out what the best cadence is. Our guys are in a great groove right now, knowing when to get ready, how to get ready, when to get prepared, and it’s been fun to watch because I know how hard it is. And to step up right there and especially to come through in big moments like J.J. and T.O. and Mayo, it’s been really cool.”

*Taylor Ward could be a trade chip if the Orioles become sellers at the deadline. He’s a pending free agent with value. Or he could keep batting in the upper third of the lineup and getting on base for a team in the Wild Card chase.

If he’s eventually gone, at least he’s assured of hitting a home run at Camden Yards with the Orioles.

Ward’s totaled only six this season, the first five coming on the road. He hit 21 in the first half last season with the Angels and 15 more after the break.

Ward circled the bases this year in Cleveland, St. Petersburg, Toronto, Los Angeles and Anaheim. He stepped into the box in the sixth inning Friday night, got ahead 2-0 and drove Noah Cameron’s sinker 354 feet to right field. Caglianone raced to the out-of-town scoreboard, took a few steps back to play the carom, and saw the ball land in the first row of fans.

Did Ward know that he hadn’t homered at Camden Yards this year after hitting two with the Angels? Of course.

Did it become an obsession? Of course not.

“I just try not to think about those things, but once it cleared, yeah, I mean, it kind of felt like a relief,” he said. “Finally get that one over with. Way past due. But it’s great to do that in front of the crowd that we had and get a win behind it, too.”

*The Orioles have signed five undrafted pitchers: Michigan right-hander David Lally Jr., Central Florida right-hander Camden Wicker, Illinois left-hander Regan Hall, Seminole State (Fla.) Junior College left-hander Colton Sampson and UNC-Greensboro left-hander Noah Chapman (h/t Nick Stevens at “Orioles on the Verge”).

Lally spent two seasons at Notre Dame before transferring. He made 53 appearances in college, 28 as a starter, and posted a 5.00 ERA in 176 1/3 innings. He struck out 22 and allowed four earned runs in 20 innings this year in the MLB Draft League. The fastball is 90-94 mph. Control has been an issue.

Hall spent three seasons with Illinois and posted a 6.06 ERA in 185 2/3 innings. His whiffs and strikeout rate increased and he’s proven adept at inducing ground balls.  He was on the Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch list. The Orioles obviously saw him.

Sampson pitched in the Cape Cod League this year and allowed three runs in 8 1/3 innings. He struck out 93 in 80 innings this season at Seminole State. The fastball is low 90s, and he also throws a slider and changeup.

Chapman, listed at 5 foot 11, appeared in 55 games in three seasons at UNC-Greensboro and had a 5.83 ERA with 195 strikeouts over 194 2/3 innings. He ranked No. 2 in D1 Baseball’s SoCon Top Prospects for 2026.

On Wicker, Baseball America writes: “Wicker is a tall and lean 6-foot-7, 190-pound righthander who still has space to fill out and attacks hitters with a long arm action and a lower three-quarters slot. He’s pitched as a starter for three seasons with Wofford (2024) and Central Florida (2025-26), and owns a 4.29 career ERA in 184.2 innings. He sits around 90-92 mph with his fastball and has been up to 96, while using a curveball around 80 mph and a changeup in the same velocity band as his primary secondaries. His changeup stands out for its extreme armside fade and has been his most consistent bat-misser in 2026. Wicker also throws a shorter, mid-80s cutter. He has average control.”